UK Government CTF Competition

Out of over 1300 applicants from across the UK, I successfully reached the finals of the SANS CTF competition in Birmingham. The first round was a challenging Capture The Flag (CTF) event, where the top 200 participants advanced to the finals. In the finals, we were grouped into teams of 8, emphasising the importance of teamwork and collaboration. It was an incredible experience that honed my skills and allowed me to connect with other talented individuals in the field.

JP Morgan 24hr Hackathon

I attended a hackathon at JP Morgan's Glasgow office. Our team, which initially did not know each other, were tasked with creating a social media-esque web application for an eco-friendly organisation where users could post about their efforts to help the environment. I focused on the creation of an AI bot that users could interact with to generate ideas on how to help the environment, and on the security of the application through protected routes and cookie authorisation. It was rewarding to have a positive impact with my cyber skills.

UK Cyber Leaders Challenge

I recently took part in the UK Cyber Leaders Challenge — an intense, high-level simulation of a real-time cyber attack. As a team, we analyzed a complex threat scenario, made critical decisions under pressure, and presented our response strategy to a simulated board of directors and stakeholders. The experience sharpened my understanding of cyber risk, incident response, and executive-level communication. It was a standout opportunity to demonstrate leadership in a high-stakes, business-focused cybersecurity environment.